Blogging about life in Minnesota, raising our six kids with Down syndrome while battling Breast Cancer.

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor in the morning the devil says, "Oh shit! She's up!"

Friday, June 07, 2013

Dear Department of Homeland Security

Dear Department of Homeland Security
Attn: Passport Authority

It would be very helpful to myself, and I am sure many other citizens of the United States, if your departments would please communicate with one another.

In February 2013 I submitted an application for my son Axel's US passport. We would be traveling to Serbia to complete an adoption, and while there would be meeting with his birth family. They were anxious to see him in real life. In addition there were many people in Serbia who were excited to see this young man who left their country 2 1/2 years ago and had learned so much.

Upon submitting my adoption documents, the clerk in the passport office didn't think they would be approved. They were the only documents I had for our adoption. A few weeks later I received a letter from you with a list of additional documents you wanted to see. The only place for me to get those documents is in Serbia. Fortunately for me I knew who to call in Serbia to obtain another set of documents. There was another family traveling at the time so a group of people rushed around in Serbia trying to get the documents completed so the other family could carry the documents home with them. Unfortunately it couldn't be done fast enough. I told my contact to just hold the documents for us, and I would get them when we traveled. We would leave Axel home and bring him and, if we were lucky, bring him another time.

This week I have been anxiously waiting for my newest son's Certificate of Citizenship to arrive, which is needed for me to obtain his social security number. Your website states I should receive it by day 50. Today is day 42 so it should be here any time. Imagine my surprise when I opened my mailbox to find an envelope from your office which contained NOT my new son's CoC, but Axel's US Passport! The very passport you rejected his documents for and told me he couldn't have. The very passport that was needed for what very well could be a once-in-lifetime opportunity to meet his birth family. Not to mention the trouble about 10 other people in Serbia went to just to get me a new set of adoption documents.

4 comments:

I am NOT loving government agencies right now either! K's passport was a non-issue somehow, but little sister's was a pain...completely unconcerned with how exactly one obtains original documents from a developing country. Not their problem. And don't get me started on the hoops the IRS has us jumping through for the tax credit from *2011.*